Every business—budget allowing—wants a top-tier website. Sleek design, fast load times, organized content. And rightfully so: a lot of time and money go into getting those elements right.
But there’s one piece that often gets overlooked: hosting.
Whether it’s a business, agency, or even a developer, it’s common to cut corners here and settle for the cheapest plan available. In my experience, that single decision can quietly undo a lot of the hard work that went into the build.
In this article I break down what hosting is, why it is important, and the difference is between cheap hosting vs premium hosting. For context, I’m not a server architecture expert—but I’ve worked across a wide range of WordPress hosts and have seen the good, the bad, and the site-breaking.
What is Hosting and What Does It Do?
Every website lives somewhere on the Internet, much like the way people live in an apartment complex. There is a server that delivers information to browsers, your phone, or whatever device over the Internet. In the apartment example, the physical apartment building that holds space for tenants is analogous to the server holding space for websites. The websites are like tenants with a room in the building. And just like a property manager handles electricity, plumbing, and upkeep, the hosting service manages the server and keeps everything running smoothly.
More concisely, a hosting service is the conduit that allows your website to be on the Internet. Without hosting, your domain would not exist (or would lead to nothing). Now that we know hosting allows the site to be on the Internet, what else does it do? Short version, hosting works behind the scenes and is responsible for:
- Storing the files and data (like the website code and all the blog posts you write on a site) that make up your website.
- Delivering the information in the said files and data quickly to a browser or device to show information to a user (what makes your site fast or slow).
- Keeping your site secure and safe from threats (like firewalls, malware, and other scary words I don’t really understand).
$2 Hosting Sounds Great—Until It Isn’t…
Hosting is usually the last thing people think about, which is why most folks just pick the cheapest option. And with products like Wix and Squarespace, you don’t even have to think about hosting at all since they take care of that for you. When I talk about those cheap options in this section, some examples are GoDaddy, BlueHost, Hostinger, and HostGator. If you have any of these, it is okay, it is not the end of the world, your website won’t get hacked (at least not right now). But you can do better!
Hosting is very much a get what you pay for situation and can derail all the hard work that went into building a website, implementing SEO effort, etc. Having a great site with bad hosting is like having the most immaculate 7 bedroom mansion that is built on a foundation made of sand and next to a flood zone. Sure maybe today, your house (website) may be fine, but it is generally unpredictable as to when it is NOT fine.
When you go cheap with hosting, the main things that get sacrificed are security and speed, especially as your site and business begin to grow.
From a Developer Perspective
Outside of the technical implications of subpar hosting, cheap hosting will make life much harder for a web developer trying to enhance or troubleshoot your website. I won’t get too technical, but usually at the lower/cheaper levels, hosting providers don’t give proper access to things developers need to take care of a site.
I have personally been in situations where a site went down with a cheap host and I was not able to diagnose the problem because I couldn’t see the error logs that document those types of issues. Similarly, implementing new features can be tough because the host will lock down the avenues to make updates, most notably the ability to alter a site via FTP. So help yourself and your developer and switch get better hosting!
I don’t have the money to spend on hosting, is it really that big of a deal?
I hear ya, believe me! As a small business owner I know the feeling of every dollar needing to be diligently saved or spent. Here is what I will say.
If your site was to go down tomorrow, how much do you care? If it is a lot, switch hosts?
Small, low-traffic sites
If your website meets ALL THREE of these criteria:
- Small (like 1-3 pages) and is very low on content
- You know it is going to stay that way for the short-term long-term future
- Has very low traffic and you are fine with that
I think staying with your cheap host is a good (and even sensible) option.
Higher Traffic Bigger Sites.
On the other hand, if your website is:
- Larger and has a lot of content
- Is getting a lot of traffic or you want it to eventually.
- Handles financial transactions
- Allows users to login, or has a proprietary tool/information that your customers really value.
I would highly recommend moving hosting plans.
A good rule of thumb is, “If your site was to go down tomorrow, how much do you care? If it is a lot, switch hosts”.
I don’t have a website.
Finally, if you don’t have a website and you don’t want to start off on the wrong foot, BUT you can’t really afford to go premium – I would actually recommend going to Squarespace or Wix.
Why? They bundle hosting, maintenance, and security into one platform. You won’t have to worry about updates, backups, or patches like you would on something like Bluehost or HostGator. While they’re not ideal for long-term flexibility, they’re a solid low-maintenance starting point. But just remember, at a certain point, it will behoove you to move to something more robust.
Okay Okay, I’ll switch! How do I switch hosts? And where do I host?
As far as where to host your WordPress website, there are plenty of premium options. While there’s plenty more to say on this topic, here’s a solid starting point with a few trusted options.
All these hosts are very secure, and more importantly (to me) are WordPress specific. These ranking are specific to me and my experience, but they are all great options. If a client came up to me and said they were on any of these, I would say they are doing just fine (unless you want maintenance with me *wink*).
Where to Host
Top Tier
- WP Engine – This is what I use for maintenance clients.
- Pressable – This host is built specifically for WordPress and is actually owned by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
- Kinsta – I have not personally used Kinsta but developers I trust love it.
Very Good
- Flywheel – This used to be my go-to and this would probably be what I recommend to super super beginner website owners (they are owned by WP Engine).
- Siteground – I have used it. It isn’t my favorite but it gets the job done.
Others that are reputable, but I don’t have an opinion because I have not used them.
- Digital Ocean, Cloudways, Rocket.net
How to Switch Hosts
This is another topic that might eventually get its own blog post (because yeah, it can get technical). I’m not going to walk through every single step like “export your database, log into FTP, point your DNS,” etc.—but the good news is that most developers (including me!) can help you or walk you through the process.
In general, what you’ll need to provide is:
- An account with the host of your choosing, and
- Access to your DNS/domain settings so we can point your current site to the new host.
If you’re reaching out to someone for help, the phrase you’re looking for is:
“Can you help me migrate my WordPress site?”
That’ll usually get the conversation going in the right direction.
Also, some devs or agencies (like me!) offer maintenance plans that include hosting with one of these premium providers, along with hands-on tech support. Just be careful—some agencies charge premium rates but still stick your site on a bargain-bin host. To avoid that, all you have to do is ask:
“Where are you hosting my site?”
And make sure the answer is one of the names in the list above. If you go with me—I use WP Engine. You’ll be in good hands. (Did I mention I offer maintenance and hosting? Yes? Cool…Hit Me Up).
TL;DR – written by AI
- Use a trusted, WordPress-focused host like WP Engine, Pressable, or Flywheel—and ask your dev where they’re hosting your site.
- Hosting matters. Even the best-designed site can fail if it’s slow, unsafe, or constantly down.
- Cheap hosts are fine for small, low-traffic sites, but risky as your business grows.
- Developer headaches are real. Cheap hosts limit access and make troubleshooting harder.
- Squarespace/Wix are better than bad hosts for beginners, but have limitations long term.
- HIT PRECIOUS WORKS UP FOR HOSTING AND MAINTENANCE!